Screening device



Feb. 28, 1 933. V 5 w RlENKs 1,899,292

SCREENING DEVICE Filed Nov. 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l ElI EIHEI Z2 f INVENTOR.

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Feb. 28, 1933. G. w. RIENKS SCREENING DEVICE? Filed Nov. 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I? TOR.

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Patented Feb. 1933 7 GEORGE W. RIENKS, OF DENVER, COLORADO SCREENING DEVICE Application filed November 11, 1929. Serial No. 406,468.

This invention relates to screening a paratus of the grizzly type, particularly a apted for the separation of dirt andother refuse matter from sugar beets.

Apparatus of this character, in which the beet roots as they are lifted from the ground, travel over a field of rotating agitative parts, has been disclosed in my application for Patent Serial No. 119,017, filed June 28, 1926, and it is an object of the present invention to provide at the discharge end of the said field an auxiliary means for the final separation of trash and leaves associated with the beet roots.

A further object of the invention is to provide said auxillary separating means in the form of one or more rollers rotating in a directionopposite to that of the rotary members of the screening apparatus and disposed relative to the screen proper to cause the beets to fall across their surfaces separate from the lighter refuse that follows the rollers in their rotary motion.

Another object is to augment the final separation by means of the roller or rollers, by the provision of an air blast.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a amst breakage or deformation of the rotating agitating parts by mounting them so as to be relatively movable in lateral direction, and a further object is to so arrange the parts upon their common shafts, as to eliminate large valleys in which small beets or parts of beets can lodge and to increase the agitative effect of the screen upon V the beets.

With the above and other objects in view my invention comprises the combinations and arrangements of devices hereinafter to be described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the several views of which like parts are sim larly designated and in which,

Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a screening apparatus to which the improvements have been applied,

Figure 2, a fragmentary plan view of the same,

Figure 3, a fragmentary elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Figure 2,

Figure 4, a perspective view of an end of a separating roller showing a modification in the construction thereof,

Figure 5, a plan View of the discharge end portlon of the screening apparatus, showing a modification in the construction of the separat ng element at the end of the screen,

Figure 6, a section taken on the line 66, Figure 5,

Figure 7, an enlarged section on the line 7-7, Figure 5, showing the modified arrangementof the a itating members whereby large valleys are e iminated, a more effective agitative action is produced, and breakage or deformation of the parts by the passage of rocks and other hard foreign objects, are prevented, and

Figure 8, a section along the line 8-8, Figure 7. 4

A rectangular frame including parallel side bars 5, supports the screening mechanism which as shown in the drawings, comprises a series of agitating units connected to rotate in unison in one and the same direction.

Each unit consists of a shaft 6 rotatably supported in boxes 7 on the side bars of the frame, and agitating members which are carried by the shafts.

The body portions of the shafts are squared or otherwise angled for the support of the agitating members in rotative conjunction therewith, and the end portions of the shafts are round for their rotation in the respective boxes.

The shafts are connected for synchronous rotation in one direction and at a uniform speed by sprocket chains 8 which throu h the medium of sprocket wheels keyed on the ends of the shafts projecting beyond one of the said bars of the frame, transmit the movement of each shaft to the next following one in successive order.

The agitating members are each composed of a hub 9 having asquared opening corresponding with the squared portion of the respective shaft, and slightly resilient curved arms or spokes 10 which are set in equidistant apertures of the hub.

The arms on each hub curve in the same direction and are equidistantly spaced and the members are mounted in series on the shafts between the side bars of the frame with their hubs in end-to-end relation.

Between the end members of the series and the side bars of the frame are fillers 12 to hold the series against sideways displacement.

The series of agitatin members on each shaft are staggered wit relation to those on immediately adjoining shafts so that their arms overlap one another.

The hubs of the membersaire proportioned so that the arms of the members are close together and the shafts are placed apart at distances which permit the arms on one shaft to closely approach the hubs on the other during rotatlon of the shafts.

The agitating members thus arranged, present a field over which the beets may travel from one end to the other, broken by the narrow spaces between the lapping arms of the members and between the arms of the members and the hubs of adjacent members.

These spaces are so narrow as to prevent the passage of beets or portions of beets thereby permitting of an unobstructed movement of the beets from one end of the separator to the other, it being the main purpose of the machine to remove from the beets, the trash that was fed with the roots and the dirt that adhered to the roots as they were pulled from the ground.

In the treatment of beets of varying sizes, including small roots or portions of roots, the screen units should be formed so as to eliminate large valleys in which the smaller parts might lodge.

With this object in view, it has been found advantageous to stag er the agitatin members of each unit by a vancing each a ternate member on the shaft, a distance equal to one half the space between the curved spokes of each member, as best shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings. This arrangement places the spokes of the alternate members in an alinement between the alinements of the spokes of the other member thereby eliminating the large lodging spaces of the units of the grdinary construction, illustrated in Figure j The staggered arrangement of the agitating members of the units moreover, increases the agitative efiect upon the beets by a more rapid dancing movement of the same as they pass from one end of the screen to the other.

The .agitating members, as shown in Figures 5 to 8 of the drawings, are fitted loosely on their respective shafts and are slightly spaced apart so that they may move laterally in a wabbling motion.

The object of this arrangement is to rmit the agitating members to give or yiel when rocks or other hard foreign objects fed onto the screen with the beets, pass between the resilient spokes or arms.

Breakage and bending of the spokes, a frequent occurrence in screens in which the agitating members are immovably fixed on their shafts, are by the improved arrangement, reduced to the minimum. I

The beets are fed onto the separator lay a belt 13 on a roller 14 which is supporte in boxes 15 at the feed end of the frame.

' The roller is rotated in the direction of the arrow A by gear wheels 16 and 17 which connect it with a ower shaft 18, and the movement of the ro ler shaft is transmitted to the shaft of the adjoining unit of separating members by means of a sprocket chain 19. This connection and the connections between the shafts of the various units will cause all of the units to rotate synchronously in the same direction with the feed roller as indicated by the arrows B.

At the discharge end of the separator, is located the auxiliary separating unit which has for its object to separate from the beets any remaining trash and leaves so that the roots may be delivered to the loading conveyor 20 in a substantially clean condition.

The clean separation of dirt and refuse matterfrom sugar beets is of paramount importance since it is customary to weigh this dirt and refuse and deduct their weight from that of the load fed on to the separator, whereby to establish the net weight of the beets and their value at a pre-established rate per ton.

The auxiliary separating element as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, comprises a roller 21 which in the operation of the machine rotates in a direction opposite to that of the agitating units as has been indicated by the arrow C.

The roller supported in bearings 22 on the side bars of the frame, is to this end connected with the shaft of the rearmost agitating unit by gear wheels 23 and 24.

The roller is disposed beneath the field of travel of the beets established by the agitating units, in a position so that beets passing across the delivery end of the field, engage the surface of the roller slightly beyond the vertical plane of its axis of rotation. The roller is disposed relative to the last agitating unit so as to leave a space 25 too narrow to permit of the passage of the beets or portions thereof, and owing to the abovedescribed arrangement of the roller, the beets will fall across the surface thereof in the same direction in which they were delivered from the screen, notwithstanding the rotary mo vement of the roller in the opposite direction, while leaves, trash and other light matter will follow the movement of the roller and pass through the space between the roller and the end of the separator.

All of the refuse separated from the'beets is received in a hopper 26 which conveys it to wagons or other receptacles placed beneath the machine.

racemes- The final separation of the leaves and trash the surface of the roller so that the light trash and leaves may better adhere to the same inits rotary motlon.

This roughening of the roller may be done in any suitable manner and in an extreme form thereof, the surface of the roller ma be st'udded as shown at 28 in Fi ure 4. he

knobs or studs may be formed 0 the heads of rivets or nails'driveninto the roller.

- In case one roller is not sufficient to effect a clean; separation of the leaves and trash from the beets, the se arative action may be re ated by the rovision of a plurality of r0 lers in space Fi ures5and6.

move in the same direction by sprocket chains The beets discharged from the screen fall progressively from one roller 'onto another and during each r0 ession the leaves and trash fall .throug 't e spaces between the rollers so that when the beets are finally deliverd to-the loading conveyor all foreign matter has been separated therefrom.

It'is of importance that the-beets engage the surfaces of the roller or rollers at the right int so as to continue their movement in airection contrary to the. direction in which the rollers move about their axes, for which reason a vertical adjustment of the roller or rollers is desirable. Suchadjustment has been illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 in which the rollers 21 and 21a are mounted for rotation on two parallel arms30 which are rotatably supported upon the shaft of the last agitating unlt of the screen.

One of the arms has an outwardly extending lug 31 provided with a bearing 32 for the rotary support of a screw 33, which screw cooperates with a pivoted nut 34 on the frame of the machine.

It will be seen that by rotation of the screw, the series of rollers may be raised or lowered whereby to adapt the final separating element for'the separation of trash and leaves from sugarbeets delivered across'the end of the screen, under different conditions.

The means for adjustment, of the rollers,

as shown, may of course be varied within the scope of the invention.

In the operation of the machine, the frame is preferably inclined lengthwise upon a suitably constructed base and the hopper is placed beneath the field of agitating members as shown and hereinbefore described.

By power applied to the driving shaft, all the series of agitating members are caused to rotate in one direction and preferably at equal succession, as shown in and trash from the e rollers 21 and 21a'are connected to all pelled toward the opposite end of the 'machine in a jigging motion,

The constant agitation of the beets by their dancing motion as, they move across the revolving-arms cleans them of most of adher ent' dirt and most trash, and any leaves or trash remaining after thebeets have been discharged across the last unit of the agita: tor, is separated from the roots by the auxiliary separating element consisting of the-1 ppositely moving roller or rollers, as herein-x be ore explained. The air blast ma be resorted to if necessary sothatIa comp etc and clean separation of Keactically all of the dirt ts may be obtained.

The spacmg of the agitating units from each other. and the sides of the frame and the spacing of the rollers 21-and 21a-from each other and from the last agitating unit .are important factors since they revent beets and there. is no obstruction whatsoever to their continuous progression from the feed.

end of the machine to the oint of final discharge. Loss of beet root is thus completely avoided which is of particular advantage when, as often occurs, the tailsof the beets are broken off the body parts or the beets are otherwise fractured in pulling, topping-or transportation.

In the treatment of small or broken beets, the staggered arrangement of the agitati'zg members of the several units, as illustra in Figures 5 to 7, prevents the spaces between the spokes of the members from being.

clogged, and the loose mounting of the agitatmg members shown in the same views,

prevents breakage or bendin of the spokes by foreign objects accidental y fed onto the screen with the beets.

The continuous unobstructed pro ulsion of the beets brings the capacity of t emachine' to the maximum and permits of the beets being treated in large quantities in a comparatively short period of time. Only I adapted for the separation of dirt and refuse matter from sugar beets, it may also be used movable in a direction opposite to that ing a roller rotating in a said screening element, and movable constantly in one direction only to efiect a propulsion and screening of the beets, an auxiliary separating element disposed to intercept beets dischar ed from the screening element and adapted or the separation of trash from the beets, and one hop er disposed to receive dirt and trash separted from the beets by the screening element and the auxiliary separating element, the auxiliary separating element being adapted to deliver beets received from the screening element, outside the hop- 2. Apparatus for screening sugar beets, comprising a movable screening element movable constantly in one direction only to effect a propulsion and screening of the beets, and an auxiliary separating element includirection opposite to that of the movement of the beets from the screening element, and disposed to intercept upon its peripheral surface the beets discharged from the screening element for the separation of trash from the beets, the roller being spaced from the discharge end of the screening element for the passage of the trash exclusive of the beets or parts thereof.

.3. Apparatus for screening sugar beets comprising a screening element, and an auxiliary separating element including a roller rotating in a direction opposite to that of the movement of the beets from the screening element, and disposed to interce t the beets discharged from the screening e ement for the separation of trash from the beets, the roller being spaced from the discharge end of the screening element for the passage ofgthe trash .exclusive of the beets or. parts thereof, and a nozzle disposed to direct an air blast toward said space.

4. Apparatus for screening sugar beets, comprising a screening element, movable constantly in one direction only to effect a propulsion and screening of the beets, and an auxiliary separating element including a peripherally roughened roller rotating in a direction opposite to that of the movement of the beets from the screening element, and disposed to intercept the beets discharged from the screening element for the se aration of trash from the beets, the roller eing spaced from the discharge end of the screening element for the passage of the trash exclusive o the beets or parts thereof.

5. Apparatus for the separation of dirt and trash from sugar beets, comprising a screening element consisting of series of rotary agitating units, and means for rotation of the units constantly in one direction only to effect a propulsion and screening of the beets, and an auxiliary se arating" element includin a roller dispose to intercept upon its perip eral surface beets discharged from the screening element for the separation of dirt and trash from the ,beets and spaced from the end of the screening element, for the passage of trash exclusive of the beets or parts thereof, and means for rotation of the roller in a direction opposite to that of the units.

6. Apparatus for the separation of dirt an trash from sugar beets, comprising a screening element consistin of a frame, series of agitating units rotata 1e on the frame, and means for rotation of the units constantly in one direction only to effect a propulsion of material fed onto the element, to a point of discharge, and an auxiliary se arating element includin a roller dispose to intercept upon' its perip eral surface beets discharged from the screening element for the separation of trash from the beets, and means for rotating the roller in a direction opposite to that of the units of the screening element, the units being arranged relative to each other and the frame, and the roller being arranged relative to the screening device to leave narrow spaces adapted for the assage of loose dirt and trash exclusive of beets or parts thereof.

7. Apparatus for screening sugar beets, comprising a screening element movable con-' stantly in one direction onl to eflect a ropulsion and screening of t e beets, an an auxiliary separating element, including a plurality of spaced rollers disposed to successively intercept upon their peripheral surfaces beets dischar ed from the screening element, and means or rotation of the rollers in a direction opposite to that of the move- 11o ment of the beets from the screening element.

8. Apparatus for screening sugar beets, comprising a screening element movable constantly in one direction only to effect a ropulsion and screening of the beets, an auxiliary separatin element disposed in inclined relation to sa1d screening element and including a roller disposed to intercept beets discharged from the screening element in the y direction of such inclination, and means for rotation of the roller in a direction opposite to that of the movement of the screening element and of the beets from the screening element, and means for the vertical adjustment of the auxiliary separating element thereby to vary its inclined relation to the screening element.

9. Apparatus for screening sugar beets comprising a screenlng element consisting of a series 0 rotary agitating units and means 133 for rotation of the units in the same direction, and an auxiliary separating element includa frame movable about the axis of rotation of the last agitating unit of the screening element into various inclined positions relative to said screening element, a rotary element on the frame disposed to intercept beets discharged from the screening element in the direction of such inclination, means for rotating the element in a direction opposite to that of the agitating units, and means for vertical adjustment of the frame thereby to vary its inclined relation to the screening element.

10. Apparatus for screening sugar beets, comprising a screening element movable constantly in one direction only to effect a propulsion and screening of the beets, an auxiliary separating element including a series of rollers, rotatable in a direction opposite to that of the screening element and disposed in inclined relation to the screening element to successively intercept u on their peripheral surfaces beets discharge from the screening element in the direction of such inclination for the separation of trash from the beets, and means for varying the inclination of the series.

11. Screening apparatus comprising a series of agitatin units 'each consisting of a rotary shaft, an agitating members on the shaft, each having a hub and radial curved spokes, the members on any one shaft being arran ed in stag ered relation to each other, where y the spo es of each alternate member on the shaft are opposite the spaces between the spokes of adjoinin members'on the same, said hubs being in 'vidually unrestricted free for a limited lateral displacement with relation to each other.

12. Screening apparatus comprising a series of agitatin units each consisting of a rotary shaft, an agitatingpmemberson. the shaft, each having a hub and radial curved spokes, the members on any one shaft being arranged in staggered relation to each other, whereb the spo es of alternate members on the shaft are in alinements between the alinements of the spokes of the other members on the same, said hubs being individually free for a limited lateral disp acement with relation to each other.

13. Screening apparatus comprising a series 9; agitating units each consisting of a rotary shaft, and agitating members on the shaft, each having a hub and radial curved a okes, the members bein mounted for rotation with the shaft while ing individually, unrestrictedl free for a limited lateral displacement with relation to each other.

14. Screening apparatus comprising a series of a itating units each consisting of a rotar shaft of angular section, and agitating mem ers, each having a hub and radial curved spokes, the individual hubs of the members being unrestrictedly and loosely fitted on the shaft in spaced relation to each other.

15. Screening apparatus comprising a series of agitatin units each consisting of a rotary shaft, an agitating members onthe shaft, each having a hub and radial curved spokes, the members being mounted for rotation with the shaft while being individually, unrestrictedly free to wabble laterally with relation to each other.

16. Screening apparatus comprising a series of a 'tatin units each consisting of a rotary sha t, an agitating members onthe shaft, each having a hub and radial curved spokes, the members on any one shaft being arran d in staggered relation to each other, where y the spo es of each alternate member on the shaft are opposite the spaces between the spokes of ad oining members on the same, and the units being relatively disposed so that the arms of adjoining unitsare in lapping relation to each other, said hubs being individually free for a limited lateral displacement with relation to each other.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

GEORGE W. RIENKS.

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